The city library and scholarly research
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435129810220921 |
| Pages | 356-362 |
| Published date | 01 September 1998 |
| Date | 01 September 1998 |
| Author | Paul Sturges |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Introduction
In a recent conference in Lübeck, German
public librarians and invited guests from a
number of other European countries dis-
cussed the scholarly research function of city
libraries[1]. The speakers explored the dilem-
ma of balancing services designed to meet the
general information needs of the community,
against services aimed at the needs of scholar-
ly researchers. This is a theme of some impor-
tance in Germany, where the public library
appeared first of all as the city research library
(wissenschaftliche stadtbibliothek), and
second as the library for the general public
(offentliche bibliothek or volksbibliothek).
The relations between the two types of library
(separate in some cities, and united in others)
have varied from place to place for the last 50
years (Klotzbücher, forthcoming). Similar
difficulties are experienced in other countries,
such as Italy, and in France, where the cities
were given important historical collections
during the Revolution (particularly the biblio-
thèques classées) and have only more recently
started to develop modern public libraries.
While this has not been such a major issue
in British public libraries generally, it has still
been a perennial problem for a small number
of great city libraries, such as Birmingham,
Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, and
Glasgow, which have built up very large refer-
ence and scholarly collections. In the
announcement of the conference, the organis-
ers had speculated that the British public
library might allow “a more harmonious
integration of different collections and ser-
vices” than continental counterparts.
Whether British city librarians would feel this
is true is another matter. This article attempts
to show the particular nature of the problem
in the UK, illustrate how recent developments
have made it more acute, and suggest that a
way forward is emerging. This is done here
through a discussion of the current attempts
of one city, Leeds, to achieve the desired
harmony.
A simplistic version of the pressures and
influences affecting British public libraries,
and city libraries in particular, during recent
decades uses a threefold division of the topic.
First of all there is the political and financial
environment. Social change is a second broad
category. Finally there is the influence of
technological change. To do justice to any of
these in brief terms is virtually impossible, but
356
Library Management
Volume 19 · Number 6 · 1998 · pp. 356–362
© MCB University Press · ISSN 0143-5124
The city library and
scholarly research
Paul Sturges
The author
Paul Sturgesis a Senior Lecturer in the Department of
Information and Library Studies, Loughborough University,
Loughborough, UK.
Abstract
European public libraries frequently have to reconcile the
continuance of a traditional scholarly role with the provi-
sion of modern public library services. In Britain the great
city libraries share this dilemma. Official policy has not
offered useful solutions to the problems of two decades of
financial pressures, social change and the demands of
information technology. The case study of Leeds Library
and Information Services shows how one city library has
begun to devise strategies that involve improving access
to research stock, making hard decisions about the
continuance of some research collections, and providing
enhanced networked access to outside resources, as part
of an overall policy based on the assessment of user needs
and preferences.
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